Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised more seats for B.C. in Parliament during a luncheon speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade yesterday.

The Harper government will reintroduce legislation in Parliament this week that he says will address the chronic under-representation given to B.C. The province has 36 of 308 seats in the House.

"Over the last few decades, British Columbia has experienced pretty significant population growth that has not been translated into representation in Parliament," Harper said. "There is no justification for perennially under-representing it in a constitutional system that is supposed to be based on representation by population."

Acknowledging B.C.’s five cabinet ministers, the Prime Minister said that no previous government has had such deep roots in the province and that B.C. is emerging as "Canada’s economic and political powerhouse on the Pacific."

Harper also reaffirmed his commitment to Senate reform, promising that the government will reintroduce legislation to limit terms to eight years.

"We have reason to be optimistic on the West Coast," Harper told the audience. "It is our mission to tie Canada to B.C."